Companies spend close to $4 million dollars for just 30 seconds of air time during the Super Bowl – but one brand was hailed as a marketing success for the evening with one perfectly timed tweet.

Webster University School of Communications alumnus Roberto Salas is on the 360i team behind Oreo’s social media success.

When the power went out at the Superdome during this month’s big game, Oreo took advantage of the situation with a blackout-themed tweet and Facebook post: “Power out? No problem – you can dunk in the dark” with an accompanying picture of an Oreo cookie in a dark room.

Webster University School of Communications alumnus Roberto Salas (Advertising & Marketing Communications, ‘06) works as a senior art director for 360i, the New York based agency behind the viral tweet, a stroke of responsive genius that drew accolades throughout the industry.

Salas worked on the marketing success and said that it was the perfect blend of opportunity and communication.

“The success of the tweet was due to the speed at which we reacted. Everyone was watching the game, all of a sudden the lights went out, so people went straight to their social media platforms, probably to tweet or write about the blackout on Facebook,” Salas said. “What they found was a visual ad from Oreo that was talking to what they were experiencing right at that moment. It was as relevant as it can get.”

The ability to act quickly was helped by having everyone at the agency on Super Bowl Sunday. The group creative director, associate creative director, senior art director, senior copywriter and key people from Oreo were all at the office along with others on the team. So when the black-out occurred, the key decision makers were ready to act.

The image garnered more than 20,000 likes on Facebook and more than 16,000 retweets on Twitter.

The Importance of Having Mentors

Salas said that the success of this image isn’t something that every brand should copy.

“Brands need to ask themselves if the product is relevant for this particular event. It shouldn’t ever feel forced and it has to make sense for the brand,” Salas said. “I think only brands with a high level of pop culture relevance can pull this off.”

Salas says his education at Webster has been helpful in his career: “Webster really taught me the importance of having a mentor, or someone you can go to for advice. I am always in touch with a few of my former professors, like Sally Howald and Charlie Claggett. Having mentors is extremely important to the growth of a professional because they can help you make key career choices.”